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U.S. MarketFlash | E-Commerce by Retail Category Finally Revealed by U.S. Census Bureau

Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau for the first time provides a much-anticipated breakdown of internet sales by retail category. The data, though available for only 2015 and subject to revision, reveals a few key points:

The electronics & appliances category shows the highest e-commerce penetration of any retail category, with nearly 20% of total sales occurring online in 2015.

General merchandise, which includes department stores and other mass merchandisers, also represents a high volume of internet sales ($22.5 billion) but a low rate of e-commerce penetration (3.3%).

Food & beverage stores, which consist primarily of groceries and supermarkets, remain among the lowest for e-commerce share at 0.1% and only $1 billion in total internet sales.

Motor vehicle & parts dealers feature the lowest rate of e-commerce penetration, as most car sales occur at brick-and-mortar dealerships. This is likely to rise over the coming years as online vendors grow, but the current annual e-commerce sales for this category are just $528 million.

The U.S. Census Bureau warns that this data set, in its first release, is subject to a margin of error and accounts for approximately 87% of online retail sales. CBRE Research will continue to monitor future data releases and publish analysis on the topic.